Brightness in the Dark
by Luna Knyte
Summary: Sam's bored and flipping through his dad's notebook. He comes across a weird entry about a fox demon and a photograph, and remembers a man named Nathan.Adopted, there might be some slash later on so be warned.
1. Chapter 1

**Brightness in the Dark**

Sam sighed as he turned the static-y television set off. Dean was out doing who knew what with who knew who, and Sam was stuck in the cheap room of the cheapest motel they could find in this speck of a town. They weren't on any assignment. There had been no coordinates sent via text message from their dad.

They were just – for the first time in a long while – honestly passing through. And Sam was bored out of his _mind_. He couldn't ever remember being this bored, not with his brother, or hell, even at Stanford he'd always had something to keep him occupied. But just sitting in this cheap motel room with nothing to do but watch the piece of crap television set was starting to make Sam antsy.

Despite his studious nature, Sam was not one to be content with just sitting and waiting. Dean was worse, which was why he was out doing who knew what with who knew who.

Sam would have gone out to find _something_ to do in this speck of Nebraska, but ever since his little run-in with death, Dean had been particularly overprotective. Usually, Sam would just say 'screw it' and go do whatever the hell he wanted – he was a grown man, after all, taller even than Dean. But Dean's sacrifice, the one that brought Sam back from the afterlife, ate away at Sam, and made it difficult for him to just disobey his older brother when the guilt screamed at him to not do anything that would make his overbearing brother worried.

And _man_, was Dean a worrier, despite his gruff and devil-may-care attitude.

So, Sam let his guilt keep him from leaving the cheap motel room. And because of that, he was _so freaking __**bored**_.

"Stupid guilt," he muttered angrily, reaching over and grabbing their dad's notebook off the nightstand. The television sucked, and his laptop was in the car – which Dean had taken to wherever, so the notebook was his last form of entertainment.

He opened the weary book and flipped through a few faded, worn pages, his eyes lazily scanning the chicken scratch his dad liked to call print. He'd already read through most of the entries, but every once in a while, he'd catch something that he'd looked over before, and he'd learn something new. Hopefully, he'd find a new and interesting creature to read about.

Thirty minutes later, as he flipped past an entry on Kobolds, which were little trickster spirits that Sam was convinced did not exist, since he'd never actually encountered one, he was beginning to think that this attempt to relieve his extreme boredom was a complete and utter waste of time.

Just as he was about to shut the book, his eyes caught an unfamiliar word.

_Kyuubi_.

Frowning curiously, he scanned the text on the page, his eyebrows rising with each word he read. The _Kyuubi_, which was apparently Japanese for Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, was rumored to be the most powerful demon in existence. It was one of nine powerful tailed demons – the more tails a creature had, the more powerful it was considered. These demons were made up of _Chakra_, which, according to his dad's studies, was basically life energy. This meant that they were 'immortal' and thus, could never be killed.

However, they could be sealed away, and apparently they were – into _humans_. These humans were called _Jinchuuriki_, which meant something like vessel. It was believed that these _Jinchuuriki_were made near god-like in strength because of the demons sealed inside of them. It was also rumored that these human vessels, like the demons their bodies housed, were also immortal.

Because of these rumors and beliefs, the _Jinchuuriki_ were a feared and hated race of monsters, and were shunned by the very people they were created to protect.

Folklore about the _Jinchuuriki_ died down after they all mysteriously disappeared. However, to this day, the Japanese still worship the most powerful demon and its container, the _Kyuubi_, to this day, in the hopes that if the vessel and its prisoner do still wander the world, that their loyalty to them will keep the powerful beings from killing them all.

Sam's frown deepened. This sounded like another myth – like the Kobolds. At least, Sam really hoped it was a myth. If a creature as powerful-sounding as this _Kyuubi_ existed, then how in the world would they be able to defeat it if it ever decided to start wreaking havoc on the world that shunned it and its vessel. Sam shivered at the thought as he turned to the next page.

His deep green eyes widened in shock as he took in the images on the page. The first was a very crude drawing of a snarling fox with nine tales waving around behind it. Beside the fox was a sketchy drawing of what looked like a human with obnoxiously spiky hair. Okay, either his dad _really_ sucked at drawing hair, or this human had really bad bed head.

Underneath the two drawings, the words _Kyuubi_ and _Jinchuuriki_ were scrawled. Sam squinted back up at the sketches. So, the bed head kid was a rumored _Jinchuuriki_ for the _Kyuubi_? He looked… like a kid, eighteen, _at most_. This kid was supposed to be an immortal being with the power of the most powerful demon in existence at his beck and call?

The kid must be really wise and mature, and _good_ to not go around seeking revenge for the ignorance of humans. To be shunned for protecting everyone from the terror of a powerful demon… if Sam had been in this kid's position, no one would be safe from his vengeful wrath.

Sam's eyes then landed on the photograph taped so its contents were facing the paper. There was a short message scrawled on the back in handwriting even worse than his dad's.

'_Thanks for the help, old man._'

Sam raised an eyebrow at the sheer _balls_ whoever wrote this had to have in order to call his dad an 'old man.' Oh, he definitely had to meet this guy, totally.

A grin pulling at the corner of his lips, Sam scratched the tape off and picked up the picture. He read the message one more time before he flipped the picture over…

… and nearly dropped it from shock.

"_Nathan_?"

In the picture, four people were posed in ridiculous positions. Sam was laying upside down on a couch with his fingers pulling his lips apart and a small pink tongue sticking out at the camera. Dean's face was a picture of comical shock as he stared up at his dad and Nathan.

His dad, who's position was so out of character for the man that it had caused Dean's out of character reaction, was holding a blond kid in a headlock, a wide grin stretching across his weathered face as his fist noogied the blond into submission. The blond's mouth was open as he yelled obscenities at the older man, but his sky blue eyes were twinkling brightly with amusement.

Sam stared at the picture, his jaw practically down to his knees.

Holy shit, _Nathan_. He'd been seven years old when he'd met the guy, but _damn_ had the blond made an impression on their whole family. Everyone had loved the guy, even their dad. The weeks spent with Nathan had been the happiest and most cheerful weeks their family had ever experienced. Nathan had even gotten Dean to come out of his Soldier-Shell and have some actual _fun_. Their dad had been way less of a hard-ass those weeks, too.

To Sam, back in his youth, Nathan was like an angel. He was bright and cheerful like the sun. He was selfless and everything Sam thought an angel should be.

This angel, Nathan, had brought their family out of the darkness for the duration of their visit.

After they'd left, things eventually returned to the way they'd always been, but Sam had tried to never forget his angel. However, as the years passed, and he learned about monsters and hunting and the darkness of the world, he slowly began to forget about Nathan, and the brightness that he represented. Soon enough, Nathan was nothing but a distant memory to Sam, who had different, darker things to worry about.

"How could I forget about _Nathan_, of all people?" Sam asked, fingering the picture almost reverently. His dad had kept a picture of Nathan, why? To remind him of the good times?

But, why was it under the _Kyuubi_ section in his journal?

Frown returning, Sam glanced from the picture of Nathan with his wild and unruly blond hair, and the picture of the boy his dad had drawn. The picture was too bad to make out any details, but the only thing that really mattered was the hair. The hair that he'd only seen on one person in his entire life – Nathan.

His dad thought Nathan was a _Jinchuuriki_? He almost laughed at the absurdity of that. Nathan had been way too happy and cheerful to be the container of a powerful, _evil_ demon. He'd also been immature and kind of ditzy. The complete opposite of the mature and wise _Jinchuuriki_ he'd imagined the _Kyuubi_'s container had to be.

But, thinking back on those weeks with Nathan, he had to wonder if his dad really was right.

-o-o-o-

_Sam laughed brightly at the face Nathan was making._

_"It's not that bad!" Dean protested, grabbing a spoon to sample the lunch he'd made them. He scooped some of the yellow goop up and popped the spoon in his mouth. The expression that followed was almost an exact replica of Nathan's, and Sam burst into another round of cheerful laughter._

"_See?" Nathan said as he grabbed a glass of water and down the whole thing in one go. He walked over to the sink and refilled the glass before handing it over to Dean. Dean pouted, but the bad taste in his mouth eventually overwhelmed his massive pride, and he snatched the glass from Nathan's hand, chugging the liquid down as quickly as he could._

"_This is why you should stick to Ramen," Nathan continued, nodding his blond head as he dumped the ruined food in the sink, "Ramen never goes bad, and it's easy to make, and always tastes super awesome!"_

"_But Ramen's gross!" Sam declared, waiting in excited anticipation for Nathan's reaction. He wasn't disappointed._

_Nathan gasped dramatically, and clasped a hand over his chest. His large, blue eyes watered up as he collapsed to his knees, "You blasphemer! How dare you insult the Ramen gods' creation? Ramen is a masterpiece! A work of art! A __**godsend**_ _from the heavens! By insulting Ramen, you're spitting in the faces of the Ramen gods! You shall be smited, brat!"_

"_Smited's not a word, stupid," Sam said, giggling when Nathan wailed about 'smart-mouthed brats.'_

_Sam looked over at his older brother, smiling when he caught the usually stoic boy grinning at the scene Nathan was making. Dean had been smiling a lot more since they'd met Nathan, and Sam was really happy because of it._

_Nathan was really cool, too! He'd take them out when their dad wasn't home, and he'd play with them and cook for them, and buy them stuff. He let them call him Uncle Nat and he never, __**ever**_ _got mad at them. Nathan was the coolest adult Sam had ever met._

_Plus, Nathan wasn't scared of anything, not even their dad._

_They'd come home late one night after a long day of playing hide and seek in the woods with Nathan, and their dad was __**mad**__. He'd gotten right up in Nathan's face and yelled at him for five whole minutes. Nathan hadn't said a thing the whole time their dad was yelling, but as soon as their dad stopped, Nathan had just laughed and said,_

"_Nothin'll happen to the brats while they're with me. I'm more protection than a whole platoon of soldiers. __**You**_ _should know that, John, better than anybody."_

_Sam had seen Nathan's eyes flash red for a second, and his dad had backed off with a wary expression on his face._

"_You sure that thing's under control?" He'd asked Nathan._

_Nathan had just shrugged and said, "No one's dead yet, are they?"_

_After that, their dad never got mad at Nathan again. He didn't care when they got home or what they were doing, so long as they with Nathan. Sometimes, their dad would even come and play with them! His dad actually tickled Dean at one point after Dean had tried to tackle him._

_Sam had never seen his dad laugh until that day._

_Several days later, Sam and Dean were hanging out with Nathan in the woods. For once, the sun wasn't out, blocked by darkening clouds as a storm approached. Nathan had walked off to 'take a piss' which he told Sam never to repeat around his dad, and Sam was getting bored waiting for the blond. If they didn't start playing now, then it was gonna rain and they would have to go home._

_A rustling in the branches behind him made him jump. He stood up and turned, angrily pointing at the bush, "Uncle Nat! Stop trying to scare me! It's not nice."_

_Dean walked up to his side and stared hard at the darkness of the trees. Nathan didn't respond to Sam's accusations, nor did he leave his spot in the woods. The trees on the other side rustled, and a branch snapped, the sound loud in the sudden quiet of the clearing._

_Dean switched to Soldier mode instantly and grabbed Sam's hand. He pulled Sam to the middle of the clearing and shoved a sharp stick in his hand._

"_Hold onto this, and don't let go, got it?" Dean ordered. Sam nodded and grasped the stick tightly. This wasn't Nathan. Nathan wouldn't have gone this far._

"_What is it?" Sam asked his brother as Dean scanned the surrounding woods._

_Dean shrugged, his eyes never stopping their surveillance, "Dunno. Probably an animal or somethin'. Don't worry, Sammy."_

_But Sam was worried. His brother was strong and brave, but he was still a kid, and Sam was even more of a kid. If they were attacked by a big animal or something, then they wouldn't be able to fight it. They would lose, and probably __**die.**_

_Sam felt tears well up in his eyes, but he blinked them away. His big brother wasn't crying, so he wasn't gonna cry either!_

_There was another rustle, this time from their right, and both boys turned towards the sound. Sam gasped when a large shadow jumped out from darkness of the woods. He could hear whatever it was growling. Thunder boomed as one drop of rain, then two, then three, then a whole bucket began to pour from the swollen clouds._

_Sam swiped his soaked hair out of his face as he stared at the large shadow._

"_It's a wolf, Sam. Stay still. Don't move," his brother ordered. And Sam froze. __**Sam**__, not Sammy. They must be in real danger for his brother to slip up like that. Sam felt the tears well up again and didn't bother stopping them as they poured out._

"_We're gonna die, aren't we Dean?" Sam asked, his voice just a whisper._

_Dean grunted, but didn't say anything, and Sam cried harder._

_The wolf tilted its head back and let loose a spine chilling howl. The howl trailed off and yellow eyes glinted in the flash of lightning. Then, the wolf pounced. Sam screamed. Dean yelled. Thunder boomed._

_Then another shadow appeared and tackled the wolf to the ground. Sam watched as the two grappled on the muddy forest floor, and caught of a glimpse of angry red eyes. He could hear ferocious growling from both shadows._

_Was it another monster fighting for their blood? Sam shivered, and Dean crouched down, grabbing hold of Sam and hugging him close._

_One of the shadows swiped at the other. The other recoiled, but shot forward again. Sam couldn't see what happened next, but there was a pained whimper, and one of the shadows hopped away as the other jumped up and ran into the woods._

_Sam shook as the remaining shadow straightened. It wasn't the wolf._

"_You guys okay?" The voice was low, and slightly growly, but Sam noticed the cheerful lilt that belonged to Nathan._

"_Uncle Nat!" He screamed as he jumped up and ran towards the blond. He was lifted into strong arms and hugged close to a wet but warm body. Sam sobbed as he clung to Nathan's soaked shirt._

"_Shh," Nathan hushed, rocking him slightly, "it's okay, Sammy. I'm here. You're safe now."_

_Sam's sobs slowed, but he continued to hold onto Nathan, not wanting to be put back down._

"_You okay, Dean?" He heard Nathan ask._

"'_m fine," Dean grunted, shuffling closer._

"… _Ya sure?" Nathan pressed, shifting Sam in his arms._

"_Yeah!" Dean said, and Sam could just see him pouting at being treated like a baby. He giggled, and felt Nathan's chest rumble as he laughed._

"_Whatever ya say, brat," Nathan said, earning a glare from Dean. He chuckled. "Let's go back, okay guys?"_

_Sam nodded, and they were on their way._

_The journey home and their arrival were hazy, but Sam remembered Dean saying something about Nathan bleeding, and Nathan saying that he was a fast healer. When they got home, their dad had yelled at Nathan, but it was more out of worry than anger. Shortly after that, Sam had fallen asleep._

_The next day, Nathan had told them that he had to go back home._

_Sam had later learned that Nathan was following that wolf, and that it was a werewolf. Nathan had wrestled with a werewolf and gotten away with just a scratch._

_-o-o-o-_

Sam was frowning as the memory ended. Nathan's departure was abrupt, but if he really was a _Jinchuuriki_, and the red eyes were signs of the _Kyuubi_ coming through, then he'd probably had to leave before the demon inside of him got out.

Sam closed his dad's journal softly and placed it back on the nightstand. He kept the picture.

Dean returned later that night with a satisfied grin on his face. His eyes widened when he saw the picture.

"Nathan? I remember that dude. He was awesome," Dean said, laughing, "those were some good times, man. Dad actually smiled back then."

"They were," Sam agreed. The two brothers lapsed into a comfortable silence. Sam glanced from the picture, then up to his brother, "Hey Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean grunted, dropping down on his bed.

"You think if we looked hard enough, we could find Nathan?" Sam asked, rubbing his thumb over the _whiskered_ face of the blond in the picture.

"Maybe," Dean said, "Why?"

Sam shrugged, "I guess I just wanna see him again, that's all. He just disappeared on us back then. I want to make sure he's still alive."

Dean snorted, "That guy took down a werewolf with his bare hands. Nothin' can kill him."

"Still."

"Fine," Dean sighed, "We'll go look for him. But only when we're not hunting, got it?"

"Yeah. Got it," Sam agreed, grinning. Dean glanced over, saw him grinning, and snorted again.

"Bitch."

"Jerk!"

* * *

><p>This was the original work of <strong>Sinfully Sadistic<strong>

She let me adopt this and I hope I do her and it justice.

Please review


	2. Chapter 2

Brightness in the Dark

Part II

* * *

><p>The Impala rumbled until Dean turned off the engine in front of a gas station.<p>

"What the hell Dean? There's no way the Impala needs more gas, we just fueled up no less than an hour ago," Sam said.

"I know," Dean replied with a mischievous grin, "We're here for pie."

Sam rolled his eyes as he followed his brother out of the car and into the gas station. It had been a full week since he'd found the picture of Nathan. Since that small nameless town, they've passed two more. Still no contact from their dad, no mysterious murders or killings in the papers, and absolutely no idea how or where to even start looking for Nathan.

"What's the matter Sammy? On your girl time? I think you'll find whatever you need on isle three," Dean jabbed as he approached Sam with pie in hand.

"Jerk," was all Sam said.

"Seriously Sammy, why with the 'my puppy just died' look?" Dean asked as he looked over the chips that were on the rack.

"Just frustrated Dean," Sam whispered.

"Whoa! Too much info!" Dean exclaimed.

"Not like that Dean!" Sam exclaimed, ears turning a tomato red, "Just...we seem to have time to look for Nathan, but where in the world do we even start?"

"Is that why you're stressed out?" Dean asked as if it were completely ridiculous.

"Oh, so you know where to find him?" Sam asked sharply.

"Course not. Unfortunately I don't think GPS was around back then so I couldn't give him one of those doggie collars with the trace in it. But I mean, come on Sammy, we find things that aren't real or that are supposed to be extinct, I'm sure we can find Nathan," Dean replied.

"I doubt it's going to be that easy. I barely remember the guy, I can't even remember the day we first met him. The main thing I remember was that day in the woods with the werewolf. The guy was a hunter, a hunter who scared dad sometimes. A hunter _that_ good goes after big prey...he may be dead for all we know," Sam said solemnly.

"Look Sammy, Nathan isn't like everyone else, that's a given, but he's still alive," Dean's arm suddenly grasped Sam's shoulder and he looked passed Sam and his grin was back on full force, "Sam...I think I know what we need to do."

"Yeah...what?" Sam asked as he picked out a bag of chips and headed to the fridges to pick out a drink too.

"You just said that Nathan's a damn good hunter who hunts big things right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, so?" Sam asked as they headed to the check out.

"So all we have to do is pass by the Road House and see if anyone there has any info on our old Uncle Nat, and hell we might as well asked about dad too. It's been awhile, maybe he's checked in with Ellen once or twice," Dean said as they headed out to the Impala.

Sam stopped short and stared at his brother. Dean noticed Sam's stare and turned around and asked, "What?"

"Since when did you get so logical?" Sam asked as he approached the car.

Dean pouted and harshly threw Sam the keys. Which Sam barely caught, "Drive so I can eat my pie...bitch."

"Jerk," Sam replied as he got into the drivers seat.

.:*:.

With Sam behind the wheel Dean took the time to eat his pie, occasionally making moaning noises to purposely annoy Sam. After he ate all of his snacks and some of Sam's as well, Dean leaned back in the seat and tried to sleep.

Before he could fall asleep completely his thoughts wondered to Nathan. He knew that there was something about this whole thing that Sam wasn't telling him, but he wasn't too worried. Nathan had been good, a blessing for the Winchester clan. When Nathan was with them it was completely awesome. His dad was more involved with them, and not in a Sargent kind of way but in a father kind of way. Not only that but his dad smiled more and actually played with them. Add to the fact that there was another adult to watch over them while their father was away at a hunt, Dean no longer had to be the adult.

He was still as vigilant as ever, but he rested easier knowing Nathan was there watching over them. Leaning further into the car seat Dean began to drift off into sleep. Still thinking of Nathan he was remembering one of the first times his father had left them with the blonde.

.:*:.

_John packed a few more guns into his duffel as Sam ate his spaghetti-O's at the table and Dean watched his dad from his spot quietly on the couch._

"_How long are you gonna be gone?" Dean asked._

"_A few days. Four at the most. There's enough food to last the both of you until I get back but I've left some money just in case. But if you don't need to, if there's no danger or absolute need, you do not step out of his house, understand?" John asked strictly._

"_Yes sir!" Dean replied._

"_Dad, I'm finished with my lunch!" Sam called from the kitchen area._

"_Good boy Sammy. Now wash your plate," John ordered. Sam was going through the 'I'm a big boy' phase and John thought it was a perfect time to teach Sam how to be more independent and self sufficient._

"_'Kay dad!" Sam replied cheerfully as he dragged his chair to the sink and began to wash his plate._

_John was about to grab some of the books from the table in front of the couch when his cell phone rang._

"_Dean, go put those books in my duffel," John instructed._

"_Yes sir," Dean replied and went to do just that._

"_Winchester," John answered his phone._

"Hey old man!" _a loud voice came from the device so close to John's ear that it made him cringe._

"_Nathan..." John hissed, "What have I told you about _inside voices_?"_

"But I'm outside at the moment," _Nathan replied innocently from the other side._

"_Smart ass...what do you want? I'm busy," John gruffed out._

"What, finally trying to get that long ass pole from out of your ass?" _Nathan jabbed and John could have swore he could see those blue eyes roll._

_If it were someone else completely, John would have hung up or cussed them out so bad the person would have cried like a baby, but for the life of him, John couldn't be mean to the blonde on the other side._

"_I'm about to leave for a hunt," John replied. He nodded at Dean to dismiss him when the eleven year old stood in front of him, motioning to him that he was finished with his task. Dean went to go sit and watch television but he noticed the tone of voice change in his father. It was, dare he think it, playful? No...maybe, but whatever it was it was different and he was curious to know why._

"Really? What is it about?" _Nathan asked._

"_Why do you care?" John demanded hotly._

"I can help!" _Nathan declared happily._

"_I don't think so," John answered and he wiped his hand over his tired features._

"WHAT! Why? I can totally help out old man, I can!" _Nathan insisted._

_John sighed. He had met the kid some years ago. About the year after Mary was killed, him and Pastor Murphy had ran into a completely different kind of demon. It was more vile and dangerous than anything he ever learned, or apparently what Pastor Murphy learned either. They had been cornered and he thought he'd never see his two boys ever again, when all of the sudden a yellow and orange blur passed them and the demon was tackled._

_There were whimpers and roars and other noises neither hunter ever heard, and finally a blonde kid who barely looked older than fifteen appeared in front of them with a goofy grin on his tanned face._

_They had gotten along very well after the initial denial and fear of the kid. As powerful as the kid was, it was impossible to think the kid a threat of any kind. Either his kindness or just his demeanor which was honestly...pretty stupid. Nathan, the kids name, had stuck with the Winchesters for a while and during that time, John had thought of the kid like a younger baby brother almost. But of course like some brothers, they had a falling out, about what John can't remember, but it ended badly and John had left the kid in whatever town they passed and didn't look back. Later feeling incredibly guilty, he returned a week later only to find that Nathan had left as well. The guy at the hotel said that some shady looking guys in black coats were snooping around and the kid hightailed it out of there._

"_Why would you want to?" John asked somewhat miserably, still a bit guilty about just leaving the kid like that. And confused as to why the kid was calling all of the sudden. John had tried for a while to hunt the kid __down, to make sure he was alright, but could never find him. He gave up eventually, but still every once in a while kept an ear out for the blonde nuisance._

"Because I'm in the same town as you and I figured that since I'm not doing anything I could help you out," _Nathan reasoned._

"_You're in the same town as me?" John asked as he looked out the window before he could help himself. A small blushed of embarrassment crept up to his face as he realized he hoped to see the blonde outside._

"Yeah, I got here yesterday and I could practically smell you from my hotel room,"_ Nathan said and again John would just see that smirk on the blonde._

_John sighed, "I don't need your help Nathan."_

"Oh come on! I'm boooooored! Can't I help with something?" _Nathan asked like a five year old wanting to go out and play._

"_No. I've got it covered brat," John said._

"_Dad! The milk is gone bad," Sam called from the kitchen._

"_We don't need milk Sammy," Dean replied._

"_But you said we was gonna get pancakes in the morning!" Sam whined._

"_Enough! Sam go play in your room. Dean go clean up," John ordered._

"The brats doing okay?" _Nathan asked sincerely._

_John bit his lip as he watched his sons go, and then he looked towards the kitchen and then he sighed yet again, "Nate, if you really want to help..."_

"Yes?" _Nathan asked excitedly._

"_I've got everything covered for the hunt, but...Sam and Dean could really need an adult here with them. But I suppose I'll have to settle for you," John said lightly with a smirk of his own._

"Tch...old bastard. But okay! I'll be there in five minutes! I can't wait for see those brats again!" _Nathan exclaimed and hung up the phone._

_John sighed but then pocketed his phone and called the boys back into the living room, "Alright...I've got a friend coming over to watch over you boys while I'm out."_

"_A friend?" Dean asked suspiciously._

"_What kind of friend?" Sam asked happily. He wanted to have a friend but he barely had any chanced because they were always moving._

"_He's an old pal of Pastor Murphy's and mine. You actually met him about five years ago. Sammy, you probably don't remember because you were just one, and Dean you were five, plus he didn't stay long," John replied._

"_We don't need to bother people dad, I can take care of Sammy and myself just fine," Dean said. Friend of not, he didn't want strangers near his baby brother._

"_I admit...he's a little whacky, but he's a good guy. Sometimes too good," John whispered the last part as he remembered one of the few times he had been with the kid. During a hunt gone wary, in which the a he-witch had captured, tied up, and removed all their weapons, Nathan had shown the he-witch some of his power and bargained out a deal. Nathan had given himself to the he-witch in exchange for him and some civilians to be freed. John thought that he'd lost the kid and was going to go out for blood when a two days later the kid barges into their hotel room with pizza and a toy each for the boys._

"_You sure we can trust him dad?" Dean asked looking from his dad to Sammy._

_John saw this and told Sammy to go pick out some clothes so he could bathe, "I know you're worried Dean, but I know what I'm doing. I know I can trust Nathan. I wouldn't let him in the door if I thought he was dangerous. And besides, I've trained you to be the best soldier ever. I _know_ you can take care of Sammy."_

_Dean looked his father right in the eye and saw that he was telling the truth, and nodded. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. John stood up from his seat on the couch and went to answer the door. When he opened the door he was a bit surprised to see how the kid had grown._

"_Hey old man," Nathan said with a smile._

"_Nathan..." John grunted as he moved so Nathan can step in._

_Dean's first thought about the blonde was...loud. He was wearing some blue jeans, a black shirt, a pair of black converse, and a weird orange jacket with a high white collar and a swirly thingy on his left shoulder._

_Over the years traveling with his dad, Dean's seen many people with all sorts of characteristics. He's seen plenty of blonde's with blue eyes who were tanned, but this guy was different. His hair was a special blonde, it was much lighter than this, but it wasn't a bleach blonde either. It was like a golden blonde. And his eyes...they reminded Dean of the ocean. A deep blue that changed shades. What struck him the most was that he had scars on his face that resembled...whiskers._

"_Geeze I knew your parenting skills were questionable, but didn't you bother to teach your kid it was rude to stare?" Nathan asked._

"_Dean, introduce yourself," John said, though he didn't blame his son. Nathan was an oddity to look at. His hair was still as messy and wild as it was five years ago. Last time John saw Nathan however the kid was shorter and thinner. Now the kid in front of his isn't really a kid. He was now taller, about 5`10, his shoulders __were broader, and he's gained some muscle._

"_Dean Winchester," Dean said with a nod._

"_Nathan,"the blonde replied._

"_What, no last name?" Dean asked._

"_Nah...too annoying," Nathan answered. "So when are you leaving? Got time to go eat? I'm starved."_

"_No, I leave now actually. Be useful and go get some fresh milk," John instructed._

"_So my special super secret task is to do your grocery shopping?" Nathan asked sarcastically._

"_It's not that complicated Nathan. You simply go to the store and pick out some products and then pay the cashier. A child can do it so I assume you should be able too as well," John said with a roll of his eyes, causing Dean to smirk._

"_Tch...whatever. Hey, isn't there another little brat?" Nathan asked._

"_Sammy!" John called as he pulled his duffel over his shoulder._

_Sam came running into the room, his shaggy little hair whooshing with every step._

"_Yes dad?" Sammy asked as he stood next to his older brother. His hazel puppy eyes looking and inspecting everything about the blonde._

"_Wow...you've grown kid. Last time I saw ya, you could barely walk," Nathan said as he knelt on one knee to be at eye level with Sam and smiled at him, "Nathan."_

"_I'm Sammy. Do you wanna play with me?" Sam asked happily. Usually his dad friends were old and mean looking. Nathan didn't look too old and he looked happy and playful._

"_I'd love to, but I have to go shopping first. I'll be back real soon," Nathan promised._

"_Come on I'll walk you out," John said._

"_He looks fun," Sam said as his dad closed the door behind himself and Nathan._

"_More like funny looking," Dean retorted._

"_You don't like him Dean?" Sam asked._

_Dean pouted, it wasn't that he didn't like the guy. For some reason he wanted to trust the man, and because of his appearance more so, but he couldn't. Trusting him blindly could mean trouble for him and his family, even if his father trusted the man._

"_I don't know yet, Sammy," Dean replied._

_Dean and Sam walked to the window and watched as their father drove off in their awesome car, while the blonde man walked the other direction._

"_Dad said he was a friend," Sam pointed out._

"_Yeah well, a lot of dad's _friends _are kind of shady. I'll make the choice if I can trust him by myself," Dean told his brother, "Come on lets watch some TV."_

"_Oh! Can we watch the Looney Tunes?" Sam asked._

"_Sure tiger," Dean said._

_They watched television as about an hour passed. The sun was high in the sky when there was a knock on the door. Dean ordered Sam to stay where he was while he answered the door. When he did, his eyes widened when he saw how many bags the blonde was carrying._

"_What the heck is in all those?" Dean asked as Nathan walked passed him. Sam ran from the couch to the kitchen where Nathan sat the bags down on the table._

"_Uh...food, duh," Nathan replied._

"_So much?" Sam asked with eyes just as wide as his brother's had been. Usually when their dad shops he only gets about one or two bags. Nathan had at least six or eight._

"_Well yeah. You can't make a proper meal without all of right ingredients," Nathan answered._

"_You know how to cook?" Dean asked as he helped take the items out of the bags._

"_Well you either learn or starve, right?" Nathan asked._

"_What are you gonna make?" Sam asked._

"_Well I thought I'd prepare some stakes and mash potatoes. Anything you guys want in particular?" Nathan asked as he finished taking out the last items._

"_That sounds yummy! Right Dean?" Sam asked his older brother._

"_I guess," Dean replied._

"_Okay so...can either of you munchkins tell me where all the pans and pots are?" Nathan asked the two mini-chesters._

"_We're not munchkins!" Sam pouted, his size has always been a problem with him. Since he was shorter it was a rule that made him lose to Dean all of the time._

"_Well you're both shorter than me, so...yeah, you're munchkins. Now, where are those pans?" Nathan repeated._

"_Check the cabinets blondy," Dean answered with an eye roll, not appreciating being called short._

"_I can believed _you_ are John's kid," Nathan said with narrowed eyes as he pointed at Dean. Then he pointed at Sam, "You however...it's debatable."_

"_Whatever. Try not to burn the place down. Sammy and I are gonna be watching television in the living __room," Dean said as he took Sam's hand and headed to do just that._

"_Television?" Nathan asked as he momentarily followed the children._

"_Yeah, you know...the box that shows programs and cartoons and stuff," Dean said a bit sarcastically._

"_Oh yeah...mini-movie thingy's," Nathan murmured._

_Dean raised an eyebrow, "What?"_

_Nathan snapped back into focus and then he rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, "Eh...I'm going to go start dinner."_

"_That was weird," Dean said._

"_How do you think him and dad became friends?" Sam asked._

"_Uh...most likely during a job," Dean answered._

"_Oh. Does Nathan work in the same business as dad?" Sam asked._

"_I don't know for sure Sammy. But he might on and off," Dean replied._

_Sam was about to ask another question when there was a car screech outside, some honking and yelling. Then there was complete silence._

"_Did someone crash?" Sam asked. Dean was going to the window to check when Nathan appeared at the entrance from the kitchen to the living room._

"_Dean...I just forgot to pick up some Ramen. I'm going to run back to the store and get some. Can you man the stove while I'm out? The potatoes are done, you just have to flip the stakes," Nathan said._

"_You're going all the way back just for Ramen?" Dean asked._

"_Yes, if I don't eat one cup of Ramen everyday then the Ramen gods will cast the world into utter destruction. It's a heavy duty, but I take it with pride," Nathan replied with fake seriousness but Dean could tell that it was forced. Like he was trying to be funny to keep them calm, but from what?_

"_Uh...sure," Dean answered. There was something different about Nathan. His face lost its previous playfulness and his eyes that used to shine with mischievous laughter were now serious. Again reminding Dean of the ocean. Before, they were a beautiful like the ocean when it was peaceful. Now they were a deep blue that looked when like the ocean water when there was a storm in the horizon._

"_Great thanks. Sammy go in the kitchen and supervise your brother, kay?" Nathan asked._

"_Okay!" Sam answered happily and rushed to the kitchen._

_When Nathan left Dean turned off the stove and looked out the window. He saw Nathan walking fast towards the direction that the crash had come from, but all of the sudden Nathan disappeared in a flash. Just before he disappeared Dean swore that Nathan's eyes flashed from blue to red._

"Dean. Dean...DEAN!" Sam called from the outside of Dean's window.

Dean jumped awake and looked around wildly and reached for his gun, "Wha...?"

"Dude relax...I'm just waking you up," Sam replied as he raised his hands in a peace making gesture.

"Why?" Dean demanded as he rolled down the window.

"Cuz it's late and I found a motel. Come on, you can sleep inside," Sam said as he went to get their stuff from the trunk.

Dean didn't get up right away. His dream, or flashback, was so real he could practically still see Nathan.

Something about him and that first encounter always bothered Dean, but he could never figure out what it was. Maybe it was trying to understand how Nathan disappeared like that. After everything that happened he was okay with Nathan not being human. Like their dad said, that guy was good...too good to be human, but for once it wasn't a bad thing.

"Dean?" Sam asked from outside of the Impala.

"Sammy...do you know what Nathan is?"


End file.
